head to head · open source
algo vs openvpn-install
algo has 30,388 GitHub stars, 2,366 forks, 77 open issues and last shipped 11 days ago. openvpn-install has 16,135 stars, 3,337 forks, 24 open issues and last shipped yesterday. algo leads on adoption by 88% (30,388 vs 16,135 stars). algo is written in Python under AGPL-3.0; openvpn-install is written in Shell under MIT. algo has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, openvpn-install 21%. openvpn-install was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (encryption), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| algo | openvpn-install | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 30K | ★ 16K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Python | Shell |
| Last push | 2026-09-09 | 2026-09-19 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.4K | ⑂ 3.3K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick algo if
- You weight community size — 30K stars and counting
- You want the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick openvpn-install if
- You want the openvpn-install feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Shell
- You evaluated both and openvpn-install fits your workflow better
About algo
Algo VPN is a set of Ansible scripts from Trail of Bits, written in Python and released under AGPL 3.0, that turns a fresh cloud virtual machine into a personal WireGuard and IPsec VPN server, and it is aimed at individuals and small teams who want to run their own VPN instead of trusting a hosted provider.
About openvpn-install
openvpn install is an MIT licensed Bash script that installs and manages a self hosted OpenVPN server on Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, openSUSE, CentOS, Amazon Linux, Arch Linux, Oracle Linux, Rocky Linux and AlmaLinux, aimed at anyone who runs their own VPS, dedicated server or home machine and wants to generate VPN client configuration files per device.
read the full openvpn-install overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is algo or openvpn-install more popular?
algo has 30,388 GitHub stars and openvpn-install has 16,135. algo has the larger community by that measure.
Are algo and openvpn-install free?
Both are open source. algo is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and openvpn-install under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between algo and openvpn-install?
algo is written in Python and openvpn-install in Shell. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, algo or openvpn-install?
Choose algo if you want the larger community (30,388 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose openvpn-install if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.